plus, the people disrupting those congressional town hall meetings. we know these are organized by the right and the white house and the democratic national committee are now determined to make them the face of republican opposition to health care. is this going to work? that's in the politics fix tonight. perhaps no one was happy to see bill clinton back in the news with those two young women than the late night comedians. highlights in the "hardball" sideshow. these guys are brutal. we begin with bill clinton's very successful mission to north korea. dee dee myers was president clinton's first and probably most famous press secretary. and michael was the senior top aide in fact to former vice president al gore. this is one of those strange moments. it's not what bill clinton did. he just did this ministerial role. he went over there but all his prestige from an accumulation of 40 years in public life was with thoson north koreans wanted. they wanted class, they got it. >> right. bill clinton remains a global rock star.

he's one of the most visible people in the world, one of the most popular people in the world, beloved in countries around the world and the north koreans. >> they wanted to be around this guy, didn't they? >> they wanted something that somebody of that stature accrues to a rogue nation like north korea. and you know, i think the president clinton was very careful not to do anything. you didn't even see him smiling in the official pictures. >> talk about his conduct in a minute. >> he was fearful of not being used and yet not getting what he wanted. >> i thought he was like a p.o.w. with his fingers crossed. here's what that freed journalist laura ling said this morning about bill clinton. let's lis. >> and we were taken to a location, and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton.

we were shocked. but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. and now, we stand here home and free. >> wow. mike, tifs caught up in that emotionally. i walk in a room and there he is. now, i guess you know, regis philbin could have been there and she might have been just as happy but i don't think so. there's something iconic about big bill clinton. in a way he's his own thanksgiving day float. he's bigger than life and here he is with the statement you're free. >> there are very few people who could have pull this had off. maybe there was nobody who could have pulled this off. >> not because of what he did.

what do you mean by that? who he is? >> i think he handled this very deftly and there was a team of people who worked behind the scenes to try to ensure their release. >> what do you know about that? >> i know what the administration has said. >> there were a lot of smart people involved in this and the administration was very smart to delink this with their negotiations with north korea over the nuclear program to put this in the hands of a private citizen someone who showed respect for the north korean government but was able to bring them home without becoming tangled in the nuclear program. it was a very smart play very well executed and the most important thing is they're home with their families tonight. >> and bill clinton never cracked a smile. that takes tremendous discipline to never once give them what they wanted which is some cheerful picture of it equality with the former president. >> he having been president on the world stage for nearly two decades understands the symbolism of little things like a smile in an event like that

where obviously, the dear leader is smiling. but bill clinton wasn't going to do that. interestingly, one of the reasons mike said that bill clinton had shown respect to the north korean regime, when kim jong-il's father died he sent him a letter of condo lens. he was president at the time, it was 1994 and kim jong-il or somebody there said that that had shown they wanted to repay that humanitarian gesture by releasing the journalists. these little things that president clinton did over many years to boiled relationships with people around the world pay unusual dividends. >> here's what the president said about bill clinton. let's listen. >> i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him for the extraordinarily humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. i think that not only is this white house obviously extraordinarily happy but all americans should be grateful to

both former president clinton and vice president gore for their extraordinary work. >> mike, it was your old boss that sort of had to deal with this because those twos women journalists caught in this terrible situation worked for al gore and his company called current. how did this work? how did he get bill clinton an boofrd. >> i can only tell you what i've heard through the background briefings the administration has done. the fact is the vice president was very concerned about them from day one and did feel a strong sense of responsibility for their safety. >> they were working for him. >> sure. i alluded to the group of people working behind the scenes, vice president gore was one of them, there were people at the state department advisinging them and ultimately president clinton who was willing to go over there and actually perform this very deft diplomatic mission to get them out. these are two people, bill clinton and al gore, who understand the complex issues involved here. they may need to be briefed up on the current state of fairs but they understand foreign policy. they understand the delicate

issues at stake and knew what had to be done. they got together and worked on this together, and thankfully they're home safe tonight. >> the first time we've seen the democratic leadership of the last couple decades working together. i mean really, it's the first time, bill, hillary, al, this president all working on the same team even if it was just this one purpose to get those two women out. it was powerful to see them all working together. it looked so much better than george w. bush and dick cheney, so much better to see those people together than what came in between these people. >> you're not going to get an argument from me or mike on that. >> john bolton, this character out there, this former neo-con who's one of these guys who talked us into the war in iraq got us into hell over there and then has the nerve to come out and make fun of this because all the former president did was go over there, pick 7th these two women and come home. and that was bad politics? what are we supposed to do, let

them city. >> we tried it their way for eight years and north korea became a nuclear nation. now i think it's time to try a different approach. certainly president obama has signaled that from the begin. certainly president clinton approached the north koreans differently and reached -- no agreement with them is perfect but they were not a nuclear nation when he left office. >> i think it's a question now what the president's role. you know bill clinton very well. you once told me very chairbly he is who you think he is. it's full of transparent i. the guy's the whole story. >> right. it's not always simple. one of the things i think i was reminded of and today is he's a much more emotional figure, you know, people connect to him emotionally and seeing laura ling talking about what it felt like to walk into that room wasn't just because she thought in her heart she was going to be free. it was something else about him that people connect to him and that he cares and that you know,

that he's come halfway around the world to help these two women come home. that's something you expect from bill clinton and it's something i think the world missed curing the bush years. >> human compassion. >> yeah. he's human. >> mike, everybody has their strengths and we'venesses. we know a lot about the clintons and a lot about bill clinton. al gore, this isn't exactly his line of country, emotion and passion, right? but this guy's really good. let's move onto the role without getting too gooey here. the question is, does this open a door to more of a role to the former president given the fact that his wife is secretary of state, which complicates but also offers an opportunity, maybe? >> i think, look, this is a president and this is an administration that is very comfortable using all the tools in the tool chest, okay? the day he picked senator clinton to be secretary of state of the united states i think you saw that. the campaign is behind them. they're working together now. what do we need to do to get the job done? he's going to go to the best and

brightest and the most capable people to get it done. this is an example and they'll be others. >> i'm getting back my usual hat on, "hardball" hat. the first concern was he would be involved in so many complicated messes with ron burke and people like that, he hangs around with these hollywood people. they didn't want any embarrassments and bill clinton has caused no embarrassment for this administration whatever. so that's been dealt with. having proven himself that he's not going to screw it up, now he's proving he can help and now we're moving on to maybe bigger territory here. do you think hillary clinton still will have to keep the planet to herself? >> i think it remains to be seen exactly what role there will be for president clinton going forward. i think that there's been a little too much suspicion maybe, i don't know what the right word is among some of the sharon resultan command of the obama team, much of it was a hangover from the campaign. there were some not too happy moments. >> too much suspicion or appropriate suspicion. >> i think a little bit too

much. i think there was always that chatter works hillary clinton be a loyal team player. she's more than showed that her best -- her real interests lie with helping her country and i think the same is true of president clinton. i think this is one good example. he said he would not undertake this mission unless the white house approved. that's not how rez carter treated president clinton in 1994. president carter announced he was going to north korea and it was up to bill clinton to figure out how to deal with that. he was a relatively new president. this was a complex international foreign issue and the former president didn't help the president. >> it seems to me the toughest things for this president to face are a very difficult economic situation where this recovery could be as bad as the recession, it could go on for years. 8% unemployment two or three years from now. tough campaign. tough race next year. he's going to need bill clinton for that. >> he's going to need everybody. >> somebody has to go to cleveland, l.a. for him and say look, the guy's doing the best we can. let's stick together.

>> sure and this president is going to live or die politically by the decisions he makes in office about these big issues. he's put it all on the table, not held back, saying we've got. >> is this coalition working? sure, it's absolutely working. >> is it working this coalition between the clintons and obama. >> so far so good. i can't think of a single example where it's not working. >> is it going to get bigger. >> i think so. >> is it going to become political as well as diplomatic. >> they're going to work together on issues and politically. big issues. >> he's going to have to help the middle east where the clintons are strong with israel especially and its friends here. he has got to the help bill clinton with keeping the white working class aboard because they're beginning to show tattering along tribal lines in this country. i with the birthers, with this thing over sotomayor, a lot of areas where there's racial stuff starting to creep out again thanks in part to the republicans but not only to

them. i think bill clinton has a major role to play to keep this country together. >> so bill is back after his success in north korea. will we continue to see him in a high profile role in the obama presidency? much more on this new while growing coalition among bill, hillary and barack obama. you're watching "hardball." we've got pat buchanan coming here, bob herbert to talk about the political implications where this is going. bill is back. this is humiliating. stand still so we can get an accurate reading. okay...um...eighteen pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. cool. you know this scale is off by a good 7, 8 pounds.

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welcome back to "hardball." what does bill clinton's success in north korea tell us about the state of the obama/clinton

coalition? that's what it is between president obama and hillary clinton. who's getting the most out of this? this doesn't necessarily mean they both aren't. let's find out. pat buchanan on bob herbert with the new york times. mr. herbert, you almost lost me the other day. let's go into where we can find common ground here. let's talk about this thing. bill clinton, there was something very emotional that happened that grabbed me. i'm not the softest touch although i do throw up my leg once in awhile. this is what the freed journalist laura ling said today about this epiphany with bill clinton. >> we were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton.

we were shocked. but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. and now, we stand here home and free. >> wow. bob herbert, your thoughts about what that moment means. >> we should enjoy this moment, chris. it's not just bill and hillary clinton and al gore and president obama although it is true they all worked together successfully on this. but you get the feel looking at this of the country at least for a moment pulling together here. people have to be happy that these young women have been returned safely home. it's an international incident that has an a positive gloss to it. you know, it's terrific.

>> pat buchanan. >> look, it's a very emotional moment, a very positive moment and a wonderful moment. it's wonderful that those journalists are home and bill clinton brought them home but we're paying a price for it in the sense that this dictator of north korea who is a bar bearian has whistled up a president of the united states, said come to my country, apologize for these two women who accidentally walked across-the-boarder and were sentenced to 12 years lard labor and he's someone who's been defying the president of the united states, insulting our secretary of state, exploding nuclear devices, testing missiles toward hawaii and he was able to bring former president of the united states over there and to have him apologize to that. >> who said he apologized. >> what north korea is saying. >> do you believe he apologized? >> yes, do i. >> where did you get that from. >> well, hillary clinton said we made a mistake or they did something wrong and i read it in a number of places. >> i read the new york times that they denied that he apologized the white house. >> they said he asked for a

pardon. and did he admit they went across? but what i'm saying. >> pat you said he apologized. do you know that. >> that's an what i say the north koreans are saying. >> do you trust them? since when do you trust what they say? today? >> they said they had exhaustive discussions. that's what they're saying. here's what i'm saying, in asia, this is an enormous victory for kim jong-il. >> you think people think more of him worldwide than they did two days ago? if he did what you did and held up our country to make a good will gesture that you would argue would be somewhat humiliating to get back two innocent people how say are innocent, how does he look good? >> he's traded hostages for press teenl. the japanese and south koreans, the japanese have hostages over there. i believe he gained and all over the world -- ahmadinejad. suppose he says we'll give you back those backpackers that wandered in here but send the

president of the united states over. >> let's take a look at senator clinton and what she said about the nature of the mission and what happened in north korea. let's listen. >> i want to be sure people don't the confuse what bill did which was a private humanitarian mission to bring these young women home with our policy which continues to be one that gives choices to north korea. they can continue on the path they are or perhaps they will now be willing to start talking to us within the context of the six-party talks about the international desire to see them denuclearized. >> i guess, bob, the other part of the question, pat has this point of view about human millating for us to take this step. i wonder if you were bill clinton, private citizen bill clinton, husband of the isn't of state, democrat if you will, american if you will, certainly that, did he have any choice but to do this. >> sure he had a choice. he made the correct choice.

one, i don't think i don't think it was humiliating at all for the united states. i think the world sees this for what it is. and you know, the idea that kim jong il got a few minutes of propaganda which i don't think is very effective propaganda, if you trade that for perhaps 12 years of these young women's lives that's a trade i would make in a heart beat. >> why do you think bill clinton seems bigger on the world stage than he did a week ago if he u milliated himself? >> bill clinton didn't humiliate himself. he did the right thing. what i'm saying is america in this sense. you have a former president of the united states which is an enormously influential figure going to beijing and in effect asking for -- pyongyang and asking for the release of these hostages. he's been called if you will by a brutal dictator. bill clinton did the right thing. here's the thing, chris. look what hillary clinton was

saying there. she is saying don't take this as though this was our government doing this because we've still got a tough policy. she knows in asia, people are saying what is going on. >> face, i know. >> it's more than just face. it's is the united states going to cave. >> what i find interesting the diplomacies about finding not where the zero sum operates because that's where you get nothing done. one side is going to lose, one side wins. when one side gets something big to them, earnst hon ger, head of east jaernlgs all he wanted his whole life was to come to the united states and be received at the white house. all his life. in other words, you think communists think they're better than us? they don't. they know we're pretty damn good. in an odd way we have prestige that we can use. every time we give prestige to somebody, i don't think it necessarily brings us down. >> i agree to this extent. there's enormous prestige but

he's the former president of the united states and you played that card and did you play it wisely in terms of what's happening in asia. >> bob you're up there in hillaryville. new york is -- people seem to be in the sphere of the clintons up there. is there now going to be a bigger role for bill clinton in our world? >> i don't know if it's going to be bigger or not. i think that the obama administration always had the idea that they would be able to use bill clinton from time to time effectively. obviously, you know, it's delicate. his wife is secretary of state. you know, and she has to take the point position on diplomacy. but when the time comes and bill clinton can be helpful either in an a high profile way or behind the scenes i think the obama administration had planned all the time to use him, and bill had made it clear after the election campaign and it was a

rough primary, had he made it clear that he would help the administration in any way that he could. >> is he going to run for anything in new york? do you think he could be elected governor up there. >> he would be atlantaed in a heart beat but i don't think he's going to run. >> that's what i wanted to hear. bob herbert, he would be elected in a heart beat. >> you notice that north korea has insulted hillary calling her a schoolgirl and then says but the former president of the united states, bring him on over. >> i know. they lack some of your brilliant mischief though. i'm not sure that's smart. i did see all those pieces. i'm not sure kim jong-il would know that. whatever he drinks drinks. thank you pat, thank you bob herbert. up next, the late night comedians were happy to see bill clinton back in the action. they won't give him a break. you think i'm tough? catch these guys. come up in the sideshow. you're watching "hardball" on msnbc.

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back to "hardball." time for the sideshow. i love it when people tell me their kids like this part of the show. now for the chuckle worthy side of the trip to pyongyang. craig ferguson first. >> clinton agreed to go as soon as he found out the mission was about picking up chicks. he was like i'll do it. for america. i will find these young ladies and i will -- i will rescue them. >> and now here with the exact same number, jimmy fallon. >> great way for obama to use clinton that way. he's probably like, bill, look, i need to you go to north korea for me. i can't do it. i'm completely booked. i have numerous obligations.

i and the you to visit a women's prison. what time is my flight? >> same theme. as clinton knows, it's hard to shake this stuff. now to tonight's big number. quinnipiac polled americans this week asking them who do they trust to do a better job handling health care, the president or republicans? congress? the president won with 46%. congressional republicans are gaining with 37%. that may be too close for comfort. not exactly a commanding position for the trez. 46% of the public now trust the president over the other guys to deal with health care. not exactly a majority. up next, an inside look at the family it's called. a high-powered top secret group of christian fundamentalists considered the most influential religious group in washington, they're the organization by the way that operates that house on c street up on capitol hill where governor mark sanford and senator john ensign both lived. we'll talk to jeff charlotte who

lived among the family next. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. undefeated professional boxer floyd "money" mayweather has the fastest hands boxing has ever seen. so i've come to this ring to see who's faster... on the internet. i'll be using the 3g at&t laptopconnect card. he won't. so i can browse the web faster, email business plans faster. all on the go. i'm bill kurtis and i'm faster than floyd mayweather. (announcer) switch to the nation's fastest 3g network

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i'm mike huckman with your market wrap. and a late day rally was not enough to move the markets into positive territory today. the dow jones industrials finishing 39 points lower. the s&p 500 down almost three points and the nasdaq losing a little more than 18 points. a weak report on the service sector was the biggest drag on the dow today. the sector index fell .9 in july and economists were expecting it to go up a full point. late in the day, investors started moving into riskier financial stocks, bank of america, jpmorgan and citigroup posting solid gains at the close

bell. shares in cisco systems are moving lower after hours on an earnings report released just after the close bell, they reported a steep deline in quarterly earnings but still managed to beat analysts predictions. that's it from cnbc first in business worldwide. now back to "hardball." . break news. former u.s. congressman, democratic congressman william jefferson of laz has been found guilty of 11 of 16 counts of bribery. he's the guy found with $90,000 in cash in his refrigerator. boy, that's a story. welcome back to "hardball." 133 c street in washington, d.c., that's up on capitol hill if you visit here right behind the capitol known for housing lawmakers and hosting prayer and bible study groups. recently that townhouse has become associated with political sex scandals.

senator john ensign lives there and confronted by colleague who's wanted him to end his affair with a campaign staffer. the estranged wife of former congressman chip pickering says he carried out his affair at that house and governor mark sanford referenced c street after admitting to cheating on his wife with the woman down in argentina. take a look right now. >> as far as c street, when i was in washington, believe it or not, christian bible study folks who asked if members of congress hard questions i think were very, very important and i've been working with them. >> journalists and author jeff charlotte lived in a house owned by the same organization that owns and operates c street and wrote a book about it called "the family, the secret fundamentalism at the heart of american power." what is the connection with all these stories of sexual peccadill peccadillos? i sort of like sanford because he seems involved in an actual

romance. who knows with these relationships. >> i think he's the most innocent. there's two kind of morality, for the little people, me and you and there's morality for those selected by god. thee blev some politicians are selected by god not elected by the people. >> where do they get this selection idea from? is this some weird distortion of calvinism and power? >> exactly, dumbed down calvinism. 70 years old, the most influential christian right organization in washington found the with the idea christianity is getting it wrong talking about the poor, the weak, the suffering. what god wants them to is be miseries too and for the powerful, that god will work through these people who he will reveal to us by giving them wealth. >> the jesuits, i really mean benign. let me ask you about what's wrong here. so what? my favorite question. so what if a bunch of these guys

go to prayer braeb fast, live together. mike doyle, bart stu peck is not a brother mentalist. zach wamp, i don't know what he is, john ensign. people have their own religion. they go to prayer breakfasts. what's harmful about it. >> absolutely nothing going to a prayer group. you want to pray with folks. the issue is when you have a 0 organization acting like a lobby. >> what are they push. >> two ideas, one is biblical capitalism the idea that god works through an enregulated market. two, their idea is an idea of american power. >> so they're sewing members of their congregation basically on the idea the federal government and all the state governments should let these people on wall street do what they feel like. >> exactly. they began with the idea the new deal was some kind of satanic conspiracy that god has chosen ho wants to be healthy and ho wants to be poor and it's up to

us to help them accept that. >> have you done any reporting on how this religious belief you describe here has affected legislation? has anybody actually passed a bill that operates on the religious receipts of this organization. >> the family doesn't tell you how to vote and don't initiate legislation. what they say is they bring these guys together and say these groups should be invisible to the public, should not take actions themselves but out of them actions should go. brownback gave he an example how it works. a piece of legislation he's been trying to pass, the silk road act no one pays attention to the central asian republics will prop up dictators over there. it has lots of benefits he says. it opens up those country tosses the kind of corporations like coke industries that are his major backers. two he says where capitalism goes, the gospel follows. this is what they're trying to do. that's what the family's been trying to do.

senator coburn has been going on foreign policy trips paid for by the family to try and set up christian prayer cells of the very kind that helped ensign. >> is this a religious group? if so, why does it include catholics and protestants and if they have a religious doctrine, it doesn't seem like they share a belief. >> they teach jews, muslims love jesus. that's what allowed him to forge alliances. catholics, the family has historically been extremely anti-catholic. doug co-said he hates. >> what's doyle and stu peck doing there. >> they're attracteded to the god of american power. these guys like the access. they like the influence. >> some working class irish catholic from pittsburgh, where do you put him into the leadership clack. >> the family, look, senator coburn in fact told james dobson's magazine, citizen several years ago he went out

looking for some democrats. the family has always been 0, 90% republicans. >> are you sure this isn't like me staying at the y, it's cheap? you get -- it used to be six bucks a night in d.c. that's one reason to stay there. >> when you're at the y, do you try and facilitate arms deals with so hard doe, foreign policy. >> a cheap place to stay. >> maybe mike doyle is, but why are they being dishonest about it? bart stu peck conservative democrats been there for seven years, getting subsidized rent. in 2002 told t"the l.a. times" e don't talk to the press about it. now he says he doesn't know what's going on there. why does zach wamp say. >> what's the reaction of these members of congress? they're all part of this cell. >> i've been reporting on this for several years for harper's magazine and rolling stone. never had a fact corrected. >> i'll hear from them. i can tell you that. thank you for coming on. i can guarantee you i'll hear

from each one of these people who want to know why they're outed as members of some religious cult when they'll tell me it's a cheap place to stay. it's a good-looking book "the family." thank you very much. those groups of protesters disrupting congressional town hall meetings all across the country in long island, philadelphia, texas. now the white house and dnc, the democrats are fighting back hoping to make the people you're looking at the face of opposition. in other words, the only people opposing health care are those screamers out there. is it going to work as a tactic for the democrats? the politics fix is next coming up on "hardball" only on msnbc.

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we're back. time for the politics fix with columnist kathleen parker and salon.com's editor-in-chief joan walsh. i'm not sure you're going to argue much. i've never seen a stronger column in the newspapers than what i read this morning when i got up. reason i'm so glad kathleen is joining us is she wrote this column basically back up senator voinovich of ohio saying the republican party which has been pretty well over the last half century as been getting destroyed by the right wring wingers in the south. we've talked about the obsession with the birther thing down in the south and all the rest of the ethnic potential here. here's a quote that really grabbed me. that same rage was on display again in the fall of 2008, but

this time, the frenzy was stimulated by a pretty gal with a mocking little wink. sarah palin may not have realized what she was doing. but southerners weaned on harper lee heard the dog whistle. kathleen, heard the dog whistle. is sarah palin a poster girl for racism? yes or no. >> not consciously. >> not consciously. >> i don't think, i certainly don't think she, sarah palin knows anything about harper lee or the deep history in the south where you don't position a white woman and a black male and pretend like there's nothing happening there. these a deep deep history. that's why i mentioned harper lee in there. you want to talk about the southern strategy. >> just like "to kill a mockingbird" where the white woman claimed she had been molested by this totally innocent black guy.

>> right. >> and she was believed for no reason except she said so. >> right. look, and please let me be really, really clear. i'm not saying sarah palin did that. i'm just saying there's a subliminal level of communication that goes on. the southern strategy has always been, since they stopped using the "n" word and being explicit what they're trying to do with race and creating this us versus them dynamic it, became increasingly vague through the years. you started talking about state's rights at a certain point, then you starred talking about these wedge issues like gay marriage and on and on. but ultimately, it's always about an us and them dynamic. >> right. >> and sarah palin's very good at that and when she plays her populist role, there's no one better at it. >> among henry louis gates, the birther movement, the sotomayor questioning, so tribalistic, no doubt about it all that stuff has become very tribalistic, we

thought country. is sara the dog whistle that says, yeah, that's what it's about? >> i think sarah palin's overall message is one of us versus them. i think that she took the lead on the campaign trail, and you and i talked about it back in september and october, chris, in really making obama the other. she would literally say things like, you know, we don't know enough about him. we're not sure where he's from. she would talk about the regular america, you know, and palling around with terrorists. we've taken that apart. so, she was the person, not john mccain, maybe behind the scenes and the mccain people were encouraging her, but she had a real zest for it, you know? she did it with a real zing and panache. she really, you know, she had that visceral appearance of enjoying it when she was really saying some pretty hateful and not-founded things. barack obama is one of us. he's very much so. the only thing different about him is he's black.

he's our first black president. and, you know, i think we've made enormous racial progress. i don't want to, and i know kathleen doesn't want, to overstate what's going on right now. but we're in a moment right now with the birthers, with the reaction to the gates' affair, with the trashing of sonia sotomayor and, you know, even john mccain saying he's not going to vote for her, where the republican party seems -- seems to believe that its best route is tribalism and scaring people, whether they're scaring people about obama is going to take away your health care or they're scaring you about we don't know what he's about, he's a muslim, he's a socialist. the tactic is fear and fear alone. i loved kathleen's column, it was awesome. >> thank you. >> i'm struck by the numbers. the new poll that came out and showed that the southerners, a majority of them, are not willing to commit. a majority of southerners, including blacks, obviously the blacks are part of this, i assume, don't have any reason to believe he's an american. they either don't believe it or

they're -- >> it's stunning. >> or the majority are not willing to say, yeah, he's one of us. and the rest of the country is overwhelming, 9 out of 10, sure, he's one of us. so, why is the south alone in this regard? not northeast, not midwest, not west, but the south? stands out there uniquely and regionally and racially opposed to this guy. >> one word, chris, one word, confederacy. i mean, you know, the south is very -- i live there, okay? i want to make that clear, too, because i'm not bashing southerners. i love the south and i am a southerner but -- >> but 40% of those states like yours is black, so it's the 60% that are white. >> it's part of the culture to be secessionist. >> like rick perry effectively is? >> to always view the federal government as the enemy. and it's very -- yeah, i can't -- i can't -- >> how about palin? let's talk about pame palin. she's attacked new york, washington and los angeles. she goes after the government. after the media, after hollywood. >> yeah.

>> anything on the coast is evil to her. she's an alaskan who i bet you any money is going to spend most of her time down in the middle parts of the country, the rural white parts. she's going to find the cul de sacs of whitedom and exploit the hell out of them, right? >> wasn't she in new york last night at michael's. >> because she's got a lawyer smart enough, robert barnett, to take her to the one place where she'll get a hell of a lot publicity. >> michael's is empty these days. >> that's true. >> the media downturn. >> you're tough. we'll be back with kathleen parker with "the washington post" and joan walsh one of my faves here, of course, we all know that. when we come back, we'll talk about the big bill. the big dog, he's called. i just call him big bill. you're watching "hardball" on msnbc. (music plays)

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we're back with kathleen and joan. joan, i have to ask you about bill clinton and his, you know, i'm not going to show it again. every other show is showing it, and i've shown it twice. the very emotional scene with miss ling when she talks about what it was like to walk into the room and see bill there. >> yeah, please don't play it for me, because when you played it the first time, my friend and i were watching, and we both teared up. that's always my great fear on television, i'll swear or i'll cry. so, you could have made me do that, chris. it was a wonderful scene. first of all, i know laulaura. i worked for her at current. and to see the president there, you know, just beaming. this kind of luminous figure.

you know, he's had his downside. he's made his mistakes, but i think many, many people in our profession really underestimate the extent to which he connects with people. and you saw the little girl in her just, i'm finally safe, this white knight is here. and, you know, i sat in this chair, you know this, this chair around the country talking to you and your guests last year and saying hillary clinton will not destroy the democratic party. hillary clinton will not destroy barack obama. bill clinton will endorse and will work for barack obama. hillary will be a great secretary of state, and very loyal, and bill clinton will help. with frenzy's people on the right and the left, equally the left, they'll destroy obama! they'll take apart his administration. i think they've been proven wrong, and i hope they shut up. >> well, you're right. i won't shut up, though. >> i was trying to leave you out of it. >> no, you're right. you're right. but i won't shut up. >> okay. no, that's the beauty of it. we don't have to shut up. we have bill back.

when are journalists more happy than when bill clinton is on the scene? >> the great thing is bill is like the emperor with ice cream and look around the corner and see his big face, the big head and the whole thing. it must have been unbelievable. and that woman, i think that's one of the great -- that's going to be one of the great moments, youtube moments of our lifetime. people will say it doesn't happen normally in politics. >> right. well, my other -- my two other reactions other than the normal one which is this is wonderful and great and thank god they brought the two women home was jesse jackson must be deeply depressed. >> you are so -- some people have to turn the corner and find somebody to sock when they're in a good mood. thinking who can we hurt? it's a great night for the republic, a great night for mr. clinton. thank you, mr. clinton. thank you, mr. president, for what you did. i think you added to your prestige. i don't buy the pat buchanan thing. you look better when you help people in this world and the other guys look like the bad

guys. thank you. join us tomorrow night at 5:00 and 7:00 eastern for more of "hardball." now it's time for "the ed show" with ed schultz. i'm ed schultz. this is "the ed show." good evening, live from 30 rock in new york, it's "the ed show" on msnbc. i'm lawrence o'donnell sitting if nor ed schultz this week, who has gone fishing. the democrats are hitting back on the after-turf campaign against health care reform, but is a strongly worded press release an effective counterpunch to a screaming mob? i'll ask a congressman recently forced to flee his own event. bill clinton to the rescue. there are so many angles to the north korea story. gore and clinton, clinton and clinton, clinton and obama. oh, and the two women who were

reunited with their families today. yeah, yeah, they were there, too. "new york times" columnist maureen dodd joins me to try to make sense of it all, coming up. many of the republicans saying no to sonia sotomayor are facing tough primary challenges in 2010. why are republicans using the sotomayor vote to pander to their base instead of expanding their base? but, first, tonight's "op ed." the foot soldiers on the right declared war on health care reform and the democrats were caught flat foote. they didn't know what to do when angry crowds shouted them down at town meetings. now the democrats are launching their own offensive. >> desperate republicans and their well-funded allies are organizing angry mobs, just like they did during the election. their goal? destroy president obama and stop the change americans voted for overwhelmingly in november. >> it will break him. >> i hope he fails! >> this